Halfpipe 101
Halfpipe skiing made its Olympic debut at the 2011 Junior Olympics in Innsbruck and will be on the schedule in Sochi, Russia at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.
Today’s competitors are reaching amplitudes of up to 40ft and performing huge acrobatic tricks, such as double-flips and triple (or more) spins.
Over the years as the sport has grown, the tricks have evolved and the size of the halfpipe has mirrored this. The standard competition halfpipe is now 22 meters wide and 150 meters long.
Slopestyle 101
A slopestyle course consists of a variety of jumps, rails, boxes and other terrain park features. Riders make their way down, through and over the course, showcasing both their big air and technical tricks in one run. Each course is unique, so athletes are forced to use their unique and creative skills to get the most out of the course.
In competition athletes are judged for their degree of difficulty, amplitude off each jump, the execution of each trick and the overall performance (including use of the features) for each run through the course.
